Apolo reread the message with particular attention, hardly believing what he was reading: this was the first time the young noble had come across something like receiving crystals in exchange for goods, and the most astonishing part was the person who had signed the offer. But there were the words, written and true: The Minister of Urban Affairs was actually willing to give away crystals!

—Should we decline it?—Orrin asked, noticing that his lord had been rereading that letter for a full ten minutes, under the awkward gaze of all the drivers.

—Are they bribing us?—Apolo muttered skeptically, then hesitantly approached the driver of the first carriage, eyeing him with suspicion—Do you have the crystals, lad?

—Yes, will you accept the minister's offer?—the driver asked, producing a black card from his pocket.

—Depends, what do they want in exchange for this "gift"?—Apolo replied with uncertainty, distrusting the minister of urban affairs' goodwill in sending these "presents".

—I didn't read the letter, but I'm not aware of any bribe, noble sir—the driver replied somewhat nervously.

—The problem is the content of the carriages, my lord!—Orrin yelled, his anger evident.

—Are they broken things? I was very clear that we don't accept rubbish!—Apolo exclaimed, annoyed. After all, bits of wood and pieces of rusty metal wouldn't satisfy the creatures. There had to be a story, something that would move them! At least that's what the young man thought.

—In principle, it could be said that they're not, noble sir. Although their condition isn't the best, you should check for yourself: according to the minister, this is quite similar to some of the things you've already purchased—the driver responded quickly, fearing the gaze of the towering young man in front of him.

—We'll see...—Apolo muttered, approaching the driver's carriage to lift the blankets that concealed the goods inside. Just as the driver had said, the condition of the goods wasn't exactly new, but it was still discernible that they were several coffins piled one on top of the other. They were quite diverse, and most of them were quite nice-looking. With curiosity, Apolo opened one of the coffins to find the bones of a person dressed quite finely. Due to the lack of odor and flesh on the bones, it seemed this person had died quite a long time ago. It even seemed that someone had taken the trouble to arrange the bones in a presentable manner, as there was an unusual lack of dust inside the coffin.

—We can't accept the dead. They were resting peacefully, and these brutes dug them up: They're ancestors of someone else, my lord!—Orrin energetically said, quite angry at the idea of these corpses being dug up. It seemed to be a significant taboo to do so.

—Why did they dig up the ancestors of other people? Don't common folk fear the wrath of the dead?—Apolo asked, looking at the long line of carriages thoughtfully. He cared quite little about offending all these deceased individuals, as he trusted that his own ancestors would be more powerful and could shield him from their anger.

The driver looked at the young man in front of him as if trying to convince him with his gaze, then explained the context of the situation:

—Due to an expansion in one of the cemeteries of the Ring City: considering the number of people who died from the blue plague in recent years, more space is needed. An underground area is being constructed, and to finish the work, the buried coffins need to be moved. Given that opting for cremation is costly, the minister thought it was better to "donate" them for his magical research.

—I had no idea the empire was carrying out works in the Ring City...—Apolo commented as he examined the carriage.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

—Of course they do. It would be impossible for so many people to live there if they solely relied on themselves—the driver responded—What's true is that unfortunately, the budget doesn't cover all areas of the Ring City.

—Are these all the carriages, or are there more?—Apolo asked, looking at the long line of carriages that extended to the door of his lodgings.

—Actually, all these carriages don't even make up half of what's needed to be removed. However, the cemetery guardian is opposing this measure—the driver replied, seeming quite well-informed on the matter—So, we could only work in the oldest part of the cemetery, where hardly anyone visits these deceased.

—Oh, what a problem...—Apolo said, looking at the long line of carriages reflectively for a few seconds— Do all the coffins look like this? I've been dealing with second-hand artifacts for quite some time, and everything indicates to me that these coffins in the carriage were pre-cleaned to make it easier to seal the deal.

—No, we would never dare to deceive you, noble sir—the driver responded quickly, becoming quite nervous—I'm afraid these are the best coffins. Those that belonged to the middle class have less elaborate coffins, and the lower class ones were buried in mass graves, so we only brought their bones.

—My lord, this is a bad idea: the dead will bring us bad luck!—Orrin said, concerned by how calmly Apolo was reacting to the situation.

—Bones... they technically tell a story... Yes, they do tell something—Apolo muttered aloud, looking at the bones in the open coffin, ignoring his butler's warnings. —And the tombstones? Are those here too?

—Yes, we brought everything that had to be removed for the construction—the driver replied, pleading for this person to accept the offer and relieve him of the problem of returning with the dead.

Apolo glanced at the coffins in the carriages one last time and cheerfully ordered:

—Well, we could assist the ministry: these coffins are certainly useful for my magical research, and we need crystals. Orrin, have the drivers take the coffins to the dungeon, and then have the servants start arranging them.

—But, sir: I assure you that these are the ancestors of other people!—Orrin shouted, angry with the order, unable to tolerate it.

—Orrin, that's precisely why we're helping them!—Apolo exclaimed with a smile, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him to point at the long line of carriages—All these people lived in the shadows of the capital's wall and are finally able to rest in this beautiful land. It's our duty to host them on our land, like the good people we are.

—Sir, I would never doubt your good will to give these departed a glorious rest. But why is it us who must take on this task?—Orrin asked, not backing down from his stance—It's well-known that meddling with the deceased of others brings trouble.

—And it's even better-known that messing with the wrong living people brings even bigger troubles!—Apolo exclaimed, smiling at the driver of the carriage ahead of the whole line, the one in charge of brokering the deal—Who have we offended the most with our long and strenuous task, dear Orrin? Precisely the Minister of Urban Affairs. And if I'm going to accept this bribe, it's precisely to have him tightly by the... well, you know where. Isn't that a good idea, my friend, the driver?

—...—The driver looked back, clearly this conversation was being eagerly listened to by the rest of the drivers, so it was wisest to feign ignorance and ignore the noble's question.

—You see, old butler: our new friend's silence indicates that I'm not completely mistaken—Apolo said with an even broader smile as he patted Orrin's back—Now, go and ensure that these new acquisitions are carefully stored in the dungeons, and have the gravestones placed where the sun never reaches. We need to add some pitiful decoration to that part of the garden.

Apolo's lodgings were located on one of the ends of the capital. As a result, one side of his lodgings had the immense walls of the capital as a wall: it was so tall that a portion of his place never received any sunlight at any time of the day, and as there was no sun, not many plants could grow. Consequently, that area of the place was full of strange weeds.

However, that area wasn't completely useless, as there was a wooden cabin in ruins and other structures that had been eroded by the passage of time. But it was certainly the most unsightly part of his place. Nevertheless, the previous owner had placed a lake right between that part of the place and the mansion, attempting to mark a difference between the two terrains.

—I will fulfill your orders, sir—Orrin responded, tired of arguing, praying to his ancestors to protect him from the anger of the deceased.

—I'm pleased to hear that—Apolo responded, reentering the mansion without intending to deal with the details and problems that his butler and the driver would have to handle.